Geospatial-Based Planning Support System for Rural Land-Use Allocation: A Case Study of Adama Woreda, Ethiopia

Abstract

Land allocation in rural areas is a significant concern for urbanizing areas. Such composite issues have never been dealt with by conventional land-use planning techniques. Therefore, this present study aimed to develop a GIS-based planning support system for land suitability assessment, land allocation optimization, and offering a just spatial balance of land use in accordance with environmental sustainability. Spatial data were sourced from credible institutions like United States Geological Survey (USGS), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Ethiopian Geospatial Institute (EGI), Central Statistical Agency (CSA), and Ethiopian Meteorological Institute for the accomplishment of these objectives. Topography, soil type, land cover, hydrology, rainfall, temperature, AND road networks were addressed by the datasets. Data were preprocessed, normalized, and entered into a GIS platform to facilitate multi-criteria decisionmaking. Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was utilized in calculating weights of the criteria based on expert judgment, and weighted overlay analysis was applied in deriving land suitability maps for agricultural uses, settlement, and forest conservation. A Multi-Objective Land Allocation (MOLA) model was also employed to generate an optimized land-use allocation scenario to maximize land-use further and reduce the risk of conflict. It was found that 29.4% of the research area (approximately 265 km??) is best suited for agriculture, mainly in the south and eastern parts. The best places to settle were in the middle and northwest, occupying 21.3% (approximately 192 km??) of the terrain. Those lands that are favorable for forest cover occupied 16.5% (149 km??) and are mostly located in the highlands. The remaining 33% of lands were moderately accessible or overlapping lands that require adaptive planning interventions. The land-allocation model using MOLA proved to be able to allocate more than 85% of land use into their most suitable classes and in the process significantly reduce land-use conflict and enhance the rationality of land use. The study identifies the effectiveness of the combination of GIS, AHP, and spatial optimization techniques in rural land-use planning, especially in environmentally vulnerable and datarestricted areas such as Adama Woreda. Based on the findings of the research, this research therefore recommends that building technical capacity among local planners and cultivating participatory planning processes are critical in ensuring long-term sustainability.